oh God I'm so happy!

Tomorrow will see the culmination of something I've controversially lived for over most of the last 40 years, I don't think €10,000,000 could possibly make me any happier, it would not even touch this... and to see 4 Irish guys involved is not only brilliant, but if you want to see something really special, forward the video to 3mins 35 secs and watch the next 30 secs.

Well done Bono, for almost the first time in my life I can genuinely say, " you are a brave and bloody wonderful man"

Thank you.

oh wow, here comes a ceasefire!

Oh would you believe it, the Israeli's are now going to be happy with a ceasefire, largely on their terms and of course they will communicate to their cohorts in the media that Hamas are holding it up, and of course Hamas will be the first to break it in time too, let's make an enemy out of them cos guess what, Obama will be President next Tuesday, Jan 20th, and by that time the media will be waiting to nail him for trying to bring any human rights into the scene (cos of course Muslims are apparently not human, more sandniggers to the American establishment). They have already tried to nail him for having a smoke, so if you look at the last entry you will understand that the real purpose of the last 4 weeks of savagery was to tie Obama's hands, and now that this is achieved, at the cost of more than 1100 human lives, we'll suddenly transform into the good guys and the Arabs will be demonised further in the eyes of the World's public.

Yeah, the Zionist media moguls, the Wall St thieves and the right wing political establishment will have won.

Congratulations, but lets hope Article 242 of the United Nations which was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on November 22, 1967 will finally be centre stage with Obama, but somehow I doubt he will be able to handle it, I mean what can you handle when the death of 400 children has tied your hands, so the 42 years of ignoring it will most likely stretch to another 8, which will make the 50th anniversary, not bad for a state which was brought into being in 1947, to ignore the United Nations for 50 out of the 70 years is not a bad record, but not a world record.

Sure the Afrikaners, the KKK and the Ulster Loyalists managed it for longer than that.

Don't know what to do?

I am really stuck, by allowing the savagery and lies to go unchallenged we are basically condoning it, People really have to do something, we do understand the Israeli and Zionist dominance of the financial, media and political areas in the USA, the problem is people are actually believing the claptrap which in my opinion can only really have 3 or 4 motivating factors.

1. To moderate and embolden the group who do not want to see the new American President make changes in middle eastern policy, and turn his slogan into "No we can't actually"

2. To deflect interest from the disgraceful behaviour of those who own and control Wall St.

3. To escalate Arab reaction which will be used to influence people's reaction to Anti-Arab sentiment making it easier to enforce anti human rights legislation as they succeeded in doing post 9/11.

4. To demonstrate Israeli (American backed) superiority over their neighbours and especially the United Nations which will continue and copperfasten the 42 year ignoring of article 242.

At this point all I feel I can do is refuse to purchase any product that has any trace of Israel on the packaging, it's like those brave girls from Dunne's Store who refused to handle oranges from South Africa many years ago, and which has helped to produce a nation of equality and some respect for basic human rights, to do so in an area like the middle east is a longer road while the respect for human rights and equality extends to strafing UN humanatrian depots and the slaughter of children in a UN school.

If you have any ideas on how we can affect Irish opinion and help our nation to influence the situation please let me know, we should be breaking trade links, expelling their Ambassador and refusing diplomatic relations which are currently extending our peoples approval of this travesty.

Thought I'd share some feelings!

not sure if I should put this up, because I know people may read too much into it, but it's simply a reply I made to a man called Alun Rees whom I've never met but does interest me because of his blog (linked above) and his emails last year. He commented on the Christmas message on my business website where I used this quote to wish my friends and occasional readers a happy (or Hoopy being a Celtic fan) Christmas, The quote i used is one of my favourites which I think may have been used first by William Arthur Ward in the 50's the quote is

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”

The reply was

Hi Alun, the reason this quote is not attributed is because I'm not sure who wrote it originally either, it tends to be attributed to Denis Waitley or even Zig Ziglar, but understanding this business you will know that many "guru's" approach marketing and recognition like Tony Robbins did with Bandler's NLP by stealing someone else's work, changing a word or two and pretending that it's their own invention (a bit like the music business where they change one note and pretend the same).

My best understanding is that the concept was first quoted by William Arthur Ward in the 50's but where his inspiration came from I have no idea.

And thanks for reading, have a happy new year, oh and on the injury issue, all is back to normal now which is good, I'm trying to draw a line under it and move on... from a media perspective I have turned down many offers to do a story for a variety of reasons, one is that I really don't want the publicity or to make more money or kudos from one persons mistake (I'm pleased he was never caught, he did not intend to do any of the temporary damage that accrued), but more importantly being the media they would have to find a coat hanger for the lucky escape, they would be either the exceptional health service, the prayers that were said, or worst of all I would be eulogised as some kind of positive "hero" who had such a fighting and positive spirit that I overcame the adversity, In the past 2 years I have lost 3 good friends to illness, all of them got the finest medical care, all of them were strongly prayed for, and all of them were brilliant positive fighters who were convinced that they could "beat" their adversity, and all of them are now dead and gone, so it does bother me when people have to find and credit specific reasons for everything, so that someone can take the credit or the blame.

It's was more an interesting year than a challenging year, I survived because I was "lucky" it's like when you were young and building a house of cards in a room when someone opened the door, sometimes the whoosh would collapse everything and sometimes the top layer would fall but the structure would stay up, if it fell when we were eight we would blame either the person who opened the door, the cards we used or the way we sloppily built the house, if it stayed up we would credit the amazing aptitude we had for card building, the quality of the cards we used, or credit God for keeping our house safe. I'm still around and back to normal which I do appreciate, but my friends are dead and gone despite the fact that they were all great fighters, got brilliant care and had heaven stormed, the factor to credit is both subtle and largely uncontrollable, I was lucky and my card house stayed up, they were not lucky, their cardhouse fell, there is nothing to credit or blame except the uncontrollable factor called luck, and I know their families are all doing brilliant and I know they are all missed terribly, but the people who try to put their bad luck down to something they did wrong or the people who put my recovery down to something I or others did right do fluster me somewhat, luck, accidents, or lottery wins are not something we can simply change, it's a bit like the weather or even your height, it's there, it's real, you have two choices, do your best with it or whinge, complain and try to change it until you are blue in the face, trying to change your luck, influence the weather, get taller or smaller or trying to transform your personality is a bit like trying to teach a pig to sing, your wasting your time.

As for the benefits that people expect from a near death experience, there are none really, but I did get an underlining of some concepts that I largely believed anyway, the main two being the factors of appreciation and involvement, appreciating the people around you and their lives is very important to me, and I continue in that vein but I was surprised at the scale of it and the wave of reaction from those I spend time with in all aspects of life, I knew I always appreciated and cared very much about them, but was very pleased and encouraged to know that they also appreciated and cared about me!

I do feel that involvement is vital for me and will continue to do that in my life, society had become too individualistic and self centered, and I do hope that the sense of community involvement, volunteering and awareness that others are just as important will return over the next few years as a platform for individuals in Irish and world society.

I also hope that the individualistic guru's who believe that the credit for every advancement and improvement is totally for them will fade into the background and that we recover a society where the best for us all is more important than what's best for an individual or an individuals family.

Finally if I had to pick out a person who's values and strength I admire it would be Fr. Peter McVerry who for 35 years has been putting his own accomplishments in the background and focusing on the homeless and hopeless and working to bring them hope in the future by providing the basics of life and restoring some confidence in themselves.

Sorry for going on so long but felt it was good to tell you my thoughts on the topic, thanks for reading again, and enjoy every hour and day where you still have the chance to make a contribution to other people's lives.

Paul.

If you feel I should take this down please let me know!

1986 ~ Different but still the same,

I've heard so much on the news the last few weeks about recession etc and how the 80's was such a desperate time, that it put me thinking about what life was like back in 1986.

I must have thought things were a little gloomy back then but I'd have been as wrong as hell, just like now the eighties were great times, sure a lot of my friends had emigrated and were living abroad but in 1986 I was living in Sligo, had a full time job in the post office, got called into the Irish Basketball team, won a championship with Shannon Gaels, had my 21st with friends in Carrick, met the beautiful Maggie on March 1st that year and went to Ibrox for the first time when Celtic drew 4-4 with Rangers.

So if they were bad times then I'd be delighted to be heading back to them.

There is so much gloom on the telly these days that they really should kop themselves on.

The madness of King George

It's really strange if you spend some time a bit mad, or under the influence of very strange medicines, you understand that you may be a bit mad but feel there is a very strong difference between being totally insane and being fairly straightforward.

When the madness passes you realise that the space between sense and madness is really a very very thing line indeed, in the last few years we've all been exposed to the likes of Barry Egan and Brendan O'Connor on one hand, George Lee and David McWilliams on the other and Simon Cowell and Kerry Katona on a weird one and they have all been lauded as icons of sanity in a mad mad world.

It's a thin line alright, the thing about all mad people including King George is that they will never feel mad, Brendan O'Connor feels he's a rock of sense, maybe them weird medicines had something going for them after all.

and that's it!

It was interesting to watch Kilkenny obliterate Waterford yesterday, not interesting in a hurling sort of way but how it rewarded the Waterford players who shafted their manager Justin McCarthy back in June after refusing to try hard in their previous game against Clare.

It's also a credit to the Waterford county board who accepted this form of player power back in June and appointed the players nomination of Davy Fitzgerald and then took all the credit as they reached an All Ireland final, we now have an interesting situation, Cork will go on strike if they don't havbe a say in who the manager is, Waterford won't break a sweat unless they are happy with theirs, and this morning the Donegal footballers issued a statement about the county boards treatment of Brian McIvor and insisting that they should be involved in the selection of the new manager.

So the teams who are not screaming for their choice of a new manager would be the Kilkenny crew with Brian Cody and the Kerry lads with Pat O'Shea...... Interesting.

Full circle.

Ah well, to pick up where I left off I'm now heading for another Connacht game, it's interesting cos they are playing Ospreys so we'll get to see Jones, Williams and captain Hook.

Looking forward to it, I enjoyed the Ulster game too even though it took me a long time to get home.

That last post!

Holy God, the future is a strange thing!

I had little idea when writing the last post about leaving a philisophy to your kids, that little over a week later I'd be in a coma and having priests giving me the last rites.

Thankfully (I really mean that) I'm well on the road to normality and I don't appear to have anything ultrapermanent wrong, so my girls can feel the slight relief of having to put up with me for some years to come.

The philisophy is not as platitudinous as I would have feared, my current thoughts are

Appreciate things as much as possible, be careful what you take for granted.
Life is a combination of choices and chance, and we only have control over the choices.
The middle ground works a bit, overdoing something is not a good idea, but neither is neglecting it completely.

oh and pass no heed on those who are lifes "experts"

Moving it on.

Imagine if you were forced to write a philisophy for your children!

If the deal was, write the philisophy and your chances of living will be proportional to your level of honesty, a kind of lie and die scenario. (this may have been brought on by a dream I had last night)

What sort of things would you put in, would you lose the platitudes like, the world is a lovely place darling, and keep smiling no matter what, or would you attempt to tell your children what you feel the world is really like.

Perhaps it would have to do with what day it was, how you were feeling or what side of the bed you got out of that day. Would there be any basic truths, are there any basic truths? The forcing od a deadline and the requirement to actually commit to a philisophy would be a most interesting exercise.

I wonder what i'd write, i'm not sure yet but I can feel a new blog coming on.

Regarding my last post, this grand bunch of lads did get the reward of their efforts as the last two games swung for them.

Coaching.

sometimes it's not all about winning, the under 18 team I manage played earlier this week, and though they were brilliant, they still lost by a point, the strange thing was I did not feel at all bad about it, in fact i was very pleased with the performance, the skills they showed and the effort they put in.

Yes we made mistakes, and we'll make them the next time too, but we are looking for a reduction, not perfection.

And it was nice to know for once that winning is not everything.

In denial!

Powerful and disturbing documentary last night http://www.fairytaleofkathmandu.com/

I think the hysterical reaction has a lot to do with people's idealistic view of human nature, or even of nature itself, the abuse of power and money is as old as the world, and although many people will embrace power (social, political or financial) without allowing it to corrupt them. it's always highly likely that a significant nimber will see their powerful position as a justification for what they do. It's usually shrouded in a veil of benevolence, just as O"Searcaigh uses the guise of helping, Bush uses the term liberating, and the Christian brothers used to call it disciplining, as Haughey would have said, now lads it's for your own good.

O'Searcaigh has unwittingly, even willingly become evil personified, because we need someone to vent at, meanwhile there are many planes leaving Ireland today for Thailand, Vietnam and many other places where middle age men will use their economic supremacy to engage young women in catering to their sexual needs, in fact there's no need to go that far, the cancellation of the days racing in Cheltenham has already been described on the radio as a bonanza for the sex trade in the area.

So maybe we should think before climbing on our high horses and stoning O'Searcaigh to death. I think what he did / does is/ was despicable, but he used his power to exploit people so he could get what he wanted, you'll see that happening with individuals, countries and corporations everywhere. It's hardly a new discovery, put a hungry lion in a cage with a deer and then come back in the morning and see what's happened. Oh nasty nasty lion... get a grip.

What is unusual nay amazing about this docummentary is that O'Searchaigh allowed it to happen, allowed his ego to lead him into disaster, it did not begin as a trap but it slowely became one... and he walked right in believing his benelovence and intellect could somehow save him from the ire of a nation.

It's not shocking, it's sad. It's cetainly not surprising.

This docummentary will win many awards, not so much for the exposure of a moral issue, but more for the fact that one mans hubris enabled it to be made at all.

Love this

Here, you gotta love this, a man who says what i usually think far brilliantly than i could dream of expressing it.

Bloody brilliant.

The images of my childhood.

It's hard to get away from the images of your childhood, the six O'Clock news always had this man shouting over everyone else, in my head he was the bogeyman, the personification of evil, I used to think he would eat children alive, only catholic children of course, but he still would.

He was indirectly (and boy did he know it) responsible for the prolonging of inequality in the north for the last forty years, he was a fundie who earnestly believed in the superiority of the protestant people, he fought to preserve but ultimately only succeeded in prolonging the ethos of apartheid and supremacy that had existed for the previous centuries.

In his period of obstruction and "never never never", 3000 people died, sometimes we should trust our childhood intuitions.

Evil is Evil, but is most dangerous in the mask of righteousness.

Shame on those who now fawn over him and his legacy.

When you're just not good enough

Well done to Celtic on at least being competitive in Barcalona last night, we were so outclassed by a team with better players and more money that it's very easy today to know what it feels like to be a Kilmarnock or Caley Thistle supporter.

Sometimes the best thing abouyt being a fan is just the relentless ploughing on, be it with Celtic or Roscommon, the keeping going in the faintest hope that someday there will be that special moment and thet we enjoy it all the more because of the famine before.

I've been lucky enough to experience those moments in Seville and Ennis, and to not plough on now would mean the next one - even though it may be 15 years away, would lose it's sweetness

Give your players the teambuilding experience they deserve.

Prionnsias O Murchu
RUNAI
Cork County Board.
Pairc Ui Caoimhe
Cork.

Dear Frank,

My name is Paul Newton and I run a training company specialising in teamwork programmes,

I have developed a new programme that I’m sure your county board executive would be interested in running with both the Football and Hurling Squads.

This programme is designed to encourage teamwork, sharpness and co-operation and will ensure your teams get the sort of preparation that you and your colleagues know they deserve

Please take a quick look at the attached promotional video and reply to me if interested in discussing further

Kindest Regards

(Up the Rossies)

Paul.


Paul Newton

Paying Setanta to watch Sean Og.

People have to decide now on what sort of GAA they wish to have in the future, those of us old enough to remember the set up of the premiership or the Kerry Packer rebel cricket will have no problems figuring out where it's currently heading, the real debate is about what our national games should look like in 10 years time, and we should all be smart enough to see the importance of the current Cork dispute in that context.

When I was a young player there was no money in the GAA, players were treated like crap, and the administrators were legendary, nothing unusual to see them dining out while the players ate sandwiches, there was no balance and the situation needed to be redressed.

Later on as a club chairman I witnessed the latter part of an era where players began to be appreciated, where Liam Mulvihill and others like Peter Quinn introduced a much more commercialised GAA, where sponsors were involved but did not necessarily call the shots, the establishment of the GPA which led us to small elite player payments, and a recognition that the players were as important as the administrators. The majority of income is still ploughed back into clubs, but the players are well looked after, you might call it balance.

You ask country players privately if they'd like a semi pro game, or even a professional one and they would take your hand off for it, the idea of playing and getting well paid for it is music to the ears of all these very dedicated lads, as it would be to any of us of we were 19 again and good enough, but is this really the way people think the GAA should go? We've seen the effect of professionalism in soccer and rugby over the last 15 years, thinking we are immune to this is ostrich strategy, the TV companies and sponsors call the shots now, the administrative bodies will do what they are told, and the players will benefit hugely, what's wrong with that you ask.

What's wrong is that the club scene will slowly die, as the funds are sluiced away to elite players who are no longer available to their clubs, the senior club scene will give way to underage and school competitions, which will be important as the breeding grounds for the next superstar, like the United States in baseball, you will have an elite professional scene, and a strong schools and college scene (as everyone wants to make the pro's)

Cork players expressed surprise that their respective Club delegates appear to be supporting the executive of the Cork county board in this dispute, but the truth is that there is now a considerable distance between the elite player and the average club delegate, in times past the selection of players on county squads was seen as a major benefit by clubs, they continued to represent their club in league games and often trained and socialised within the club structure.

Modern day country set ups demand that players rarely play with their clubs, are typical unavailable for almost all league games and don't socialise at all except with other elite players on "bonding" weekends in Malaga. The gap between the modern elite player and his club has widened considerably, it's little wonder that the Cork players are having trouble getting their views represented via their clubs.

Is this the future we want? A semi pro premiership of 10 - 12 elite county squads, with a fluid transfer market ensuring the weaker counties lose their finest players and never have a chance to break through, a club scene which will thrive at Bord na n'og level but will die at senior and intermediate level into Sunday league pub competitions. I don't propose to tell people what they should want, simply to point out the I believe this is the direction we are inevitably heading unless someone shouts stop.

It’s time for an extensive debate into the future structure of the GAA, this is an issue that is far bigger than either Donal Og Cusack or Frank Murphy, as GAA people we are arrogant beyond belief if we think that our organisation would be immune to what's happened in soccer and rugby, and if we decide this is the direction we want the organisation to go in, then fine, but to wake up one morning and see wealthy elite players, no volunteers bar selfish parents who want their kid to make it, TV companies and sponsors calling the shots and clubs reduced to soulless shells with liquor licences. With "free to air" a thing of the past we'll end up paying Setanta to watch Sean Og. That's hardly what the founding fathers envisaged, I wonder is it what Irish people want now.

The GAA has been a major force for good in modern Ireland, a major part of the social fabric, yes in the past it was unbalanced, these days we have a reasonable balance between the interests of clubs, sponsors, players, communities and county boards, if we are going to unbalance it lets be careful about where the end game is at, in ten years time we want a GAA that retains it's ideals.

Those marching on the streets of Cork in the last week would do well to remember that.

My favourite ten inspirational movies

Led in by my favourite movie of all time - La vita e bella.

Happy Friday

1. Life is Beautiful




2. Billy Elliot.



3. Schindlers List



4. The Shawshank Redemption



5. Leon



6. A Beautiful Mind



7. Pay it Forward



8. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.



9. The Green Mile.



10. Jean de Fleurette / Manon des Sources. (almost)


Honourable Mention.

The Boondock Saints

You'll never guess what happened my cat.

This blog is going to the bad, it always suffers when i am a bit busier, in fact there is an inverse relationship between my business productivity and my blog productivity. The busier I am the less blogging i do, the stats at the side tell me that I wrote 67 posts in 05, and 69 posts in 06, but then rocketed to 83 last year, which means i was not as busy as i might have been, it's encouraging that I have only 4 for this year, but if you see a sudden rise in blogging please drop me a line and tell me to get cracking as it seems to mean that I'm writing too much here and not enough in places that are a bit more profitable.

Right, time to take my own medicine.

It just never leaves ya!

What am I like? Playing Basketball game last night and I found myself going nose to nose with one of the opposition, in that "wonder will he hit me" kind of way. I'm almost 43 for fecks sake, mind you Tommy was in a few scrapes too, and he's bloody 54.

Starting to feel some benefit from the lack of cigarettes, I felt much better through the game last night, and I feel better overall, I've done the last 9 days without very much bother, and as long as I keep my head on my shoulders I think I'll be fine this time.

That storm knocked everything around the garden that was not nailed down, basketball hoop, patio heater, flowerpots all toppled over, only the heater sustained any real damage.

I never imagined my blog would turn into one of those incredibly boring "you'll never guess what happened my cat yesterday" kind of offerings, so I apologise for this one.

Now better do some work.

P

Fit to burst

So much happening am almost fit to burst, good news on funding, off to UK next week, rebranding all 2007 brochures for 2008, trying to come up with a great angle for a personal development course for business, busy busy busy.

This year's business plan needs to be more varied than last year, not so much putting the eggs into one or two baskets, plus I need to be out of the office a whole lot more.

Am excited

Phil O'Donnell RIP

Up in my attic I have several boxes full of magazines, for years in the 90's I bought the Celtic View every week, and several years ago i rounded them all up, but unable to actually chuck them out I ended up "storing" them all in the attic.

This Christmas I had a look through some of them, a mate called me the other night to tell me the Phil O'Donnell had collapsed and died while playing for Motherwell. The funny thing is that I never enjoyed supported celtic more than i did at that time, even while we were winning stuff since, and definately not the current stuff, I just can't seem to reconnect with the passion I felt from the early 90's right up to Seville, I had my mate Ger (who died last year) beside me most of the time, watching and screaming for the Celtic of Collins, McStay, Cadete, Di canio, Rieper and marvellous Moravcik.

I was in my late 20's and early 30's. Life was brilliant, nobody we knew died of "natural causes" and as long as we were careful what pubs we went into and where we wore our colours we felt indestructable.

Well Ger is dead, and now one of the young lads we used to watch playing is dead too, I certainly don't feel indestructable anymore, so I went up and had a flick through some of the magazines, through the time of Tommy Burns, Wim Jansen, Dr. Jo, John Bloody Barnes and finally Martin O'Neill (I stopped buying the magazine years ago) and I felt glad to have had all those experiences, glad to have lived through those times and in a strange way i felt that I had little choice back then, cos i had got myself into something i had to see through, and in a strange way Martin O'Neill helped deliver us from that, after Seville it became possible to follow Celtic as a pass time rather than as a compulsion.

It allowed us all to grow up a little.

The ten years before that had kept us as angry passionate teenagers from 1988 to 1998,

But we loved it.

Phil O'Donnell is the first Celtic player of that generation to move on.

RIP

Will I sue?

I just found this image on Henrik Larsson's website, he definately never asked my permission to use it, plus i think he may have altered it to give the impression that he is a celtic legend too.

All I can say I my defence is that I was younger at the time and needed the money.

What I'm getting myself for Christmas.

No not the full father ted collection on DVD. This year I'm getting myself a good kick up the arse.

It's been a while since i did anything that really challenged me or stretched me. and although things are grand I can feel them getting comfortable the last while, it's the watching eastenders and eating full bags of sensations (thai red chilli flavour) kind of comfortable and with Christmas coming up, that's really the wrong direction for me to be going.

When will the penny drop that I'm only really happy when I'm trying to climb a mountain, once i get there and sit on the top for a while I get bored, frustrated and have that sense that I should be doing something else.

So that's what I'm giving myself this Christmas, a good boot up the hole, the sort that gets me out exercising more, out working harder, reading writing and presenting more, playing a bit more sport, doing the christmas swim, enjoying life rather than sitting round staying warm.

I thought your man Kahlil Gibran put it fairly well.

"verily the lust for comfort murders the passion in the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral"



An after Christmas update, I did actually take my medicine on this one, and although i did manage a lot of sitting around, I also visited several people, had loads of visitors, did the christmas day swim, played 2 hours of basketball on boxing day, played a full gaelic football match on 27th, had a limited game of cricket several days and played the traditional new years day "american football game" now the trick is to keep it up cos Jan is often a month when it's hard to get really motivated

The ups and downs of life.

Maybe it's too early to be doing a review of the year, but this has definately been a most interesting one.

The American poet Robert Frost (the road less travelled by fella) said

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life — It goes on"

It was Joy's birthday yesterday, she's 15 now, and she got out of hospital where she's been for the last week after getting a serious fright, so i'm in appreciative mode right now.

Christmas is coming, fast, there's a few balls to fall into place before that though, I'm never sure how they are going to fall, but I know there are going to be some predictable and some surprises, just like life itself

the only reason i put up that pic is because i like it, it was taken a few weeks ago at a friends wedding and i was obviously happy being the centre of attention.

My meme

The word "meme" was introduced by Richard Dawkins in his book, the selfish gene in 1976.

A meme is an idea that spreads, like a virus, through a population which can change the way we think about things, An example of a meme might be that you can do all your Christmas shopping without leaving your house, unthinkable a few years ago, but the idea has now spread and in a few years many many more people will feel safe and confident doing their shopping online.

So what's my meme?

Real change is a adaptive process over time, it's neither impossible nor transformational, but evolutionary.

For coaches this means we should be encouraging small but significant changes rather than trying to change the world, in terms of managing expectations we should not be promising revolution, but rather helping people to move towards what they want a step at a time, change can only really occur when we get momentum, not the pretendy enthusiasm which follows a motivational event, but real momentum built on concrete personal evidence.

I badly ned to find simpler language to get this across, but that's basically the idea I want to propogate.

Everton 7 Sunderland 1

This can't be right can it? i thought it was all about not failing to prepare, and being incredibly intense and not having any big egos in the dressing room.

And then getting stuffed 7-1, not by United, Liverpool, Arsenal or even Chelsea, but by Everton.

Frankly I'm appalled, I don't know what to think anymore.

Much better when it's busy.

Life is just much better when it's busy, whenever I read through my insights personal profile, it strikes me how easy I get bored and how dissatisfied I get when I don't have lots to do.

Too much of a good thing!

It's probably not a good idea to be blogging while watching TV.

I'm watching the mind blowing "high society", the RTE programme which makes me want to run out the front door and buy a gram from the first dealer I meet, It would certainly makes you think about the concept of addiction.

Cocaine looks to be great, the only reason people seem to stop using is that they get into financial trouble, lose a job, or get forced into rehab by somebody who really cares about them.

There is very little evidence that people ever go into rehab voluntarily, in fact the guy at the end made two very interesting statements.

1. I am certain that 95% of the best times in my entire life were when I was on a cocaine blast.
2. If i was 65 and diagnosed with a terminal illness would I go back using? You bet i would.

Now Brian Treacy "guru" used to have a goal setting exercise where he would ask what you would do if you were told you only had 6 months to live, I doubt he ever got "do as much coke as I can afford" as a response.

The problem in life is not drink or cocaine or sex or even scientology, the problem in life is that you can have too much of a good thing.

Irish people are just shite at moderation.

Absorbed!

How does it feel to be in "the flow"?

Completely involved, focused, concentrating - with this either due to innate curiosity or as the result of training
Sense of ecstasy - of being outside everyday reality
Great inner clarity - knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going
Knowing the activity is doable - that the skills are adequate, and neither anxious or bored
Sense of serenity - no worries about self, feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of ego - afterwards feeling of transcending ego in ways not thought possible
Timeliness - thoroughly focused on present, don't notice time passing
Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces "flow" becomes its own reward

it's just a lovely place to be, when high skills meets high challenge.

Capturing Mary.

There's a massive amount happening in my life at the moment, it's not all positive and I find it hard to sit and simply focus on one thing for too long, there's also a great temptation for distraction from the difficulties I'm experiencing so it was in this light that I sat down last night to watch the new Stephen Poliakoff movie "Capturing Mary" on BBC.

After last week watching the Jimmy McGovern drama "The Street" all I can say is thank God for the BBC. They really do make the most wonderful pieces allowing one to forget all their worries and be transported to a different place for a little while. One of our greatest needs in modern society seems to be the need to be "distracted" from life by something else, TV, drugs, religion, something that will make us feel better about ourselves for a time. I usually think that this is taking refuge and failing to confront the issues in life, but I think I might be a little more conpassionate about it in the future.

There are some things in life that cannot be either controlled on wished away. There are difficulties that just are, things that can't be effectively confronted or run away from, perhaps these are the things that simply must be endured. Of course we are determined by our choices, but there are things in life we simply don't choose, illness, difficult relationships, and family are just 3 examples, we also have to expect that once you choose you can gain but you can also lose, so it's not just about choosing it's about trying to make the right choices.

This was intended to be about capturing mary, but as usual it's about me.

Births, Deaths and Marriages.

I'm off to the wedding of my friend Brian, and while I'm at the wedding I'll be thinking about the breakup of another friends marriage. And then in the next 12 months someone will die, and new people and things will be born, some will fall in love and more will fall out of it and do you know what... that's just fucking life.

It's births, deaths, marriages, divorces, tax, christmases, sex, sickness, joy, holidays, hope, pain, victories and car accidents.

It's a bloody rollercoaster because it's supposed to be, it's either highs and lows, or it flatlines... at which point it's so beige that you might as well be bloody dead anyway.

You want a life without pain, try a lobotomy? cocaine? Jumping off a bridge?

Otherwise it's a marriage today and a divorce tomorrow, a birth sunday and a death monday.. that's life man. don't expect it any other way.

Saturday afternoon

Spent a lovely few hours on Sat afternoon just going through and scanning some old pics, these are my maternal grandparents, taken in Glasgow in 1934

Where does it all go?

Nothing like this time of year for concentrating the mind, October 31st is the tax deadline (us tech friendly online dudes get an extra few weeks) and I'm just about to sit with the accountant to sign off on 2006.

Fantastic year, fantastic revenues, excellent profits... I have only one question ... WHERE THE **** DOES IT ALL GO?

Sure i can see some of it, in and around the house, and we did a few things of note, but I am totally shocked as to how much it costs just to live a "normal" life in Ireland these days.

It's difficult for us fortysomethings, I remember my first job had a salary of less than ten grand a year, maybe i still kinda think like that.... that if you have forty or fifty you should be well off.... it certainly does not work like that anymore... there are only two cures, cut back on expenses or earn more revenue, I'll try a bit of both and see what happens.

Update.... Just back from the meeting, that's the revenue sorted for another 12 months, it's amazing how quick it all comes around.

Sometimes my head hurts!

There are times I'm not sure if I'm heading in the right direction, if what i'm doing is actually making a difference.

At the weekend I got a lovely email from a client, and it reminded me of a story I heard from another guy on a course a few months ago who said.

"this young fella was walking along a beach when he came across hundreds and hundreds of stranded starfish, so he stopped and began throwing them back into the water, one by one, after a while a man comes along and while giving him a funny look asked him what he was doing?

The young fella said he was saving the starfish.

But the older man said... Look son, you're mad, there are thousands and thousands of starfish, you can't possibly make a difference.

At which point the young fella picked up another starfish, threw it back into the sea and replied.

Well I made a difference to that one.

Anvils around the corner!

"Dont worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday"

Sunscreen - Baz Lurhmann

Amazing how we've all been kinda programmed to worry, but the man is spot on, it's the things we don't know that should be bothering us, not the things we do.

and here was I thinking that as I got older life would have fewer surprises.

Not true - There's anvils around corners..

effin eddie

I first heard effin eddie in 1994, and 13 years later it's still as funny as ever.... enjoy

The wedding.

Such a good looking family....

We had a brilliant time at my brother's wedding in Kerry.

Simplify

It's the start of October, the last quarter of the year.

The summer has been very busy and fairly stressful, and in the last week there has been my brother's wedding (which was brilliant) my sister coming home for good from the states, my fathers 1st anniversary and several other things that had to be done.

So when I sat down last night to write a bit, the only word that would come into my head was simplify. I really only want to achieve two things over the next 3 months.

1. To work hard, bring in lots of business and have a storming year end.
2. To work out, maintain and improve my shape and fitness from the summer.

It's that simple, most other invitations will be declined, I just want a nice quiet but busy life over the next few months with as little extraneous activity as possible.

I'm looking forward to it.

New irish rugby shirt.

C'mon Ireland.... Wouldn't it be great to beat the Argies and stuff the bloody journalists.

Meaning V Happiness

Read a blog yesterday that inspired me to get a book called the Interpretation of murder, the first couple of paragraphs read like this

"There is no mystery to happiness.
Unhappy men are all alike. Some wound they suffered long ago, some wish denied, some blow to pride, some kindling spark of love put out by scorn - or worse, indifference - cleaves to them, or they to it, and so they live each day within a shroud of yesterdays. The happy man does not look back. He doesn't look ahead. He lives in the present.

But there's the rub. The present can never deliver one thing: meaning. The ways of happiness and meaning are not the same. To find happiness, a man need only live in the moment; he need only live for the moment. But if he wants meaning - the meaning of his dreams, his secrets, his life - a man must reinhabit his past, however dark, and live for the future, however uncertain. Thus nature dangles happiness and meaning before us all, insisting only that we choose between them"

So if we must only choose between them, which should we choose?

There is a strong argument for happiness, the idea that we should live only in the present, but it's also a life without "WHY" and although I've never figured out why why is so important, I still have a feeling it is, there must be a purpose however simple, maybe that purpose is just to be happy, which makes a neat circular argument but brings me no satisfaction as to meaning.

There must be more to life than happiness...... it's the most lovely feeling, to be happy, but surely it's not possible to attain it as a constant state.

Mosre questions than answers again I'm afraid... I'll just read the book and see what happens.

Yuvraj Singh 6 sixes Twenty 20 Cricket 2007 England v India

The bloody rugby has me mithered, so here's a real class sporting moment instead, and to think there are people who think cricket is boring. Have a look at the young fella celebrating after the second six.

Shameless

I just found out that Fiona and Steve (Anne Marie Duff & James McAvoy) in Shameless are actually married in real life.

I'm as happy as Larry Gogan, It's like all the books I've ever read and all the movies I've ever watched might not be total fiction after all. Maybe Dorothy did get back to Kansas, Charlie really got to visit the chocolate factory and Tiny Tim had a happy Christmas after all.

The first two seasons of Shameless were totally brilliant, the helping with homework scene in series one and the steve and fiona stuff in series two were some of the best British TV ever made.

and now it might not all have been makey uppy.... i'm going to bed happy.

VW golf "changes" commercial

Advertising has always been one of my interests, in fact I studied it in college in 1987/88. This was my favourite commercial at that time and still is, the actress is Paula Hamilton (specially done up to look like princess Diana) and the music is by Alan Price...and VW are still doing innovative stuff as their new passat campaign has the funniest site at http://www.midlife-crisis-retreat.co.uk/

Closer.

Must be winter approaching, watching movies again and some of my favourites are popping up on the telly. Last week it was "Hitch" and last night "Closer"

What pops into a persons mind when they are watching a movie like "Closer". I have to admit the things which were flitting through my mind lst night were.

What's real and what's not?
Is winning important?
We all lose in the end anyway.

Actually having played a game on Saturday and lost, watched the rugby Saturday night, supported Cork in the All Ireland on Sunday and then watched Closer I went to bed with six million questions swirling in my head.

It's strange that the only certainty in our lives is that we'll die
If you play enough sport and continue to move up the levels it is inevitable that it will all end in defeat.
If you pursue happiness with enough vigour I've no doubt that it can only end in defeat too.

Happiness is a bit like time, you can't take it with you, you can't bank it, save it up or gaurantee it for the future.
All you can really do is enjoy it when it's there, like sport, time or love. The time to enjoy and appreciate sport is when you're in the middle of it. The only constant in the world is change, I woke up with a new determination to enjoy the day, to not waste what I've got, to enjoy those who are important to me and to appreciate what i've got.

Busy Busy Busy.

My football season is over, it ended as most football seasons end for most teams, in defeat. http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=33674&cat=sport and I have to admit it's strange looking forward to evenings with no training and weekends with no games.

I'm not sure exactly what is going to replace it for me, i really want to stay in decent shape this year so I'll play a little basketball and maybe even get to the gym and lift a few weights, something I've always wanted to do but never really got into.

Work is going really well, it was a busy week and next week is even busier, there are a lot of balls in the air so I am feeling really confident about the next 6 months.

Lining out for Roscommon on Saturday, that will be fun and apart from that it's a very quiet weekend ahead. I'll use it to find some quiet space, reflect and make some decisions.

Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues - 1977

I'll have this one too please. Tom Waits has been one of the constant things in my life for the last almost 30 years. This song is so beautiful.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

There are only two songs that i definately want played at my funeral service, this is one of them!

Plain White Ts - Hey There Delilah - Official (HQ)

I just love this new (well I just found it) facility on youtube that allows me to post my favourite music direct to my blog. This is far and away my favourite tune of the moment.

The Sopranos finale (unedited)

Even the most amazing things have to come to an end.... and I LOVED the Sopranos.. was really sad when it ended, but the fact that no ones ever knew what would happen next was just brilliant...i'm not sure whether i hope there a movie or maybe that's just it. Black screen.... as Tony says..."focus on the good times"

Roger Sanchez - Another chance - Original Mix (Music Video)

Hitch is on.... Right now

If you're a guy you gotta love this movie, it's where the loser gets the girl, as opposed to the girl getting the shining prince.

Can't stay to blog...gotta watch the movie, it's like dirty dancing for blokes.

UPDATE. Ok I watched the movie again and now it looks a little sloppy and soppy at the end, see it really is like dirty dancing for fellas, I just don't get this Eva Mendes thing, how did that girl make it in the movies? She is to acting what I am to ballet.

Two little girls.

I'm not sure how to react to the latest news in the Madeline McCann case. I should feel vindicated a bit as I have long felt that the media shockingly misreported this story, using it to create a culture of fear of the unknown that of course suited the suits in BSkyB.

There would of course have been little interest if Kate McCann had been a black single mother, but no... an affluent white educated married middle class woman would immediately be assumed to be incapable of involvement.

It's the constant insinuation that we need to be very afraid of the unknown that gets me... it's the KNOWN we need to be concerned about, something like 93% of all child abuse, murder and abduction is carried out by people well known to the victim, in fact two weeks ago I watched the news in horror as details were revealed of the terrible torture and killing of a four year old by her mother and boyfriend in Huddersfield

Have you heard of Leticia Aaliyah Wright?

No i bet you haven't....

Deadly buzz!

Brilliant weekend at my little brothers stag party in Edinburgh, really really enjoyed it, weather nice, lovely hotels (the Radisson is really lovely) fantastic company and one or two beers.

Arrived late friday night to Indigo Yard

where the champagne boys we're having one of those arguments to see who had the biggest credit card and thought "oh my god, what have i let myself in for here" but boy did it take off from there and I only saw one more bottle of champagne all weekend and that was my own fault.





We then proceeded to the very lovely Tigerlily,



where entertainment included the fabulous "VIP" room, which most of us we're allowed into but some had to pay a tenner, it was only when inside the "VIP" room that they discovered it was the smoking area, oh how we laughed, the night was rounded up at the nightclub with the worlds lowest ceiling, a strange place where Barry Manilow bought me a drink.... time for bed really.

An early start on Sat at 8.30, down town for breakfast and a recckie on auld reekie, I've been there many times before but I love the feel of Edinburgh, particularly during August when the festival is on, back to the hotel to meet my older brother Des (apparently I don't really know him) and then we wandered round for a while before a nap, there followed a brilliant afternoon at one of the scummiest pubs in the world, Biddy Mulligans in the Grassmarket, which was absolutely brilliant craic, I laughed so much i hurt myself and eventually had to go for another nap, followed by a fabulous meal in the beautiful maison Bleau



Back to Mulligans where we encountered class and sophistication beyond belief (not) and then on to my favourite pub in Edinburgh, the 3 sisters, it ain't classy but it's just the height of craic and I've never ever had a bad night in the place, the only word is mayhem, the floor was made of broken glass, lager and a sticky substance I really hope was red bull, the place was heaving, everyone was up for the craic, there were no slobberers and it was just mega

















A quick visit to espionage nearly ended the night, but when i got back to the hotel and decided to have a late drink I discovered the maddest white rapper in the world who entertained the residents bar until the (very) early hours and was just amazing....

Sunday was a bit of a blur after all that, the Celtic match was an easy stroll and after watching the second half of the hurling it was time to head for the airport, a few delays meant I got home at 2am and monday was a very busy very tiring day.

3 things made this weekend for me.

My brother Des was a bloody revelation, such craic, I really enjoyed his company and stories most of which I'd never heard before.

The crew that travelled, as sound a bunch of lads as you'd meet in a ten mile walk

Enda's Michael Muirhertaigh / Seamus Duke megamix of the 91 Connaught final.

Jaysus I can't wait for the wedding now.

Don't KNOCK it until you've tried it.

Got this email today from a friend (who shall remain nameless).
From a logical perspective it's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time


"Never underestimate people’s preparedness to believe any oul shite. Massive coverage was given in the national press today to the Supreme Grand Wizard Sean Brady or whatever the fukk he calls himself who had a go at the Tarot card readers and Astrologers of the Country. And where did he do this? Knock of all places, Knock - where a group of hallucinating peasants said they saw the mother of god on the gable end of a church. You couldn’t make it up"


American papers please copy.

Change your mind!

Saw the news yesterday (an unusual enough event at this time of year) and they were doing a vox pop about the continuing American involvement in Iraq.

The reporter stopped this woman on the street and asked her if she supported the war in Iraq.

she said she did.

He asked why.

She said cos she voted Bush.

He asked why she voted Bush.

She said cos he supported the war on Iraq.

This is not a post about the war in Iraq, it's a post about how we think and how we rationalise decisions, we get caught in a loop, not always as obvious as this one... but we just do.

"So Michael will we sack John?
No
Why?
Cos I appointed him"

"So Phillip will you close your business?
No
Why?
Cos I started it"

I know i'm not getting this across very well and that my thinking is still fuzzy, but it appears to me that logic has less and less a role to play in our society.

By the way I really hope the Madeline McCann thing is not going in the direction the Portugese press thinks it should be going, I don't think our psyches would be able to handle the fact that people invested real sympathy and real tears in a lie.

If it turns out they did it, nobody will ever look beyond the parents in anything similar ever again, lets wait and see.

Bloody Football!

Why do I put myself through this?

Saturday, senior championship, was a sub, 1 point defeat after leading by 5 with 15 mins left

Sunday, intermediate championship, playing, 1 point defeat after leading by 5 with 15 mins left,

Monday, minor championship, manager, 4 point defeat after leading at half time and playing the 2nd half with the wind.

Tonight... training again

Insania.

We really do need to talk about kevin!

I don't normally read much fiction, but it being August and the weather being complete shite, I've robbed the shelves of a few novels lately, in fact I've read four in the last two weeks.

This is the stand out by a mile.

It's a great read which reminds me of the only time in my life I rang a radio show, it was Gerry Ryan about ten years ago and he was doing a piece on this English guy who was waiting to be executed on death row, and Gerry was doing his populist bit about what he'd like to see done to your man if it was Gerry's daughter he murdered.

He's all death penalty the bould Gerry, so i rang him up and asked him what he'd think if it was his son who did the killing, how would he feel then?

He gave me all this rubbish about how no son of his could ever do something like that. Funny enough I bet most parents of murderers would have felt the same

Anyway, that's what the book is about, it's from the mother of the perpetrator's perspective, and it's a damn good read, enjoy it (although enjoy is really the wrong word)

Rage, Rage, Rage.

I love my Apple powerbook, it's quick, easy to use and most of all looks drop dead gorgeous.... but sometimes even the things we love most have little faults that drive us round the feckin bend... and my G4 is no exception.

We've been together about 20 months and early in our relationship it could do no wrong, i was just thrilled to be seen along with it, and when someone was using one just like it in a movie or a tv show i would exclaim "what a smart person, look at the beautiful laptop they have"

It seemed our relationship put me right up there with Hollywood and I would never miss an opportunity to show her off.

And then one day she let me down...bad.

As often is the case it was only a little thing... her powercable broke, just when i was about to use her for an important presentation, and for a week i fumed at her, but i got a replacement cable, not a replacement laptop and things returned to normal, well not normal exactly, i noticed a difference in our relationship, i did not trust her so much anymore... and i was often found checking her cable and wondering would she let me down again.

Well she did... last week in fact... it's cost me a lot of grief and no little money, and i still don't have one..so she sits there, useless.

The guys in the computer store look at me now with a little sympathy, where once just to have her with me drew envious looks and great appreciation... this morning when i went (in vain) to collect her cable, they just looked a little sorry for me... did she let you down again they said...and i had to admit that yes..she had.

It's the same fault as before they said... she's flawed... and although we can patch her up for now... there's no guarantee she won't let you down again in future.

They never said it outloud... but i knew what they were thinking..

We have a beautiful one... a hollywood one... sans flaw... one you can take out with you and all you will draw are admiring glances... the old one will never do that again.. let her go... we'll take care of you.

But i can't... i still love her and want to give her every chance.. despite knowing that her cable may still let her down again... i'm going to give it one more chance.

There is a moral in this story... and it's this.

APPLE.... GET YOU'RE BLOODY FINGER OUT AND STOP MAKING BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTS WITH FATAL FLAWS..

I have macs... ipods.... and in the autumn i fully intend to have an iphone when they come out... but christ almighty why do you have to make it so hard to love you?

It's a bloody cable.... the most important part of beautiful design is that it does the shaggin job in the first place...

Rant over!

Some Days!

It's August, this month has frustrated me every year since I started the business, difficult to get work, difficult to get paid, difficult to contact people.

After my first August in this business I swore that I would create a situation where I could take the entire month off and enjoy myself, but it has not happened yet!

The problem is stuck in the middle, i'm neither at work or not at work right now, I have a lot of work lined up for September, but no one wants to see me for the next few weeks.

That sums me up right now.. stuck in the middle.

The only thing that gets me going when I feel like this is deliberately focussing on the good things, the things in my life that make it wonderful, family, friends, sport, fun, and the knowledge that this vacant somewhat gloomy phase will drift by, like it's always drifted by before... there's so much to appreciate and so much to look forward to.